that I seem to have wandered into a bit of a writing wasteland. Not sure what that is all about. You would think that with all of the staying at home due to Covid, there would have been more things to read, not less.

I know that in general this year I have been feeling less open to the world, less interested in sharing what I am thinking, feeling or experiencing. I think that there’s a good portion of that due to redirecting all available energy and motivation to keeping my company alive. When I am bathed in the glowlight of a computer screen, it is usually because I am doing something work related.

Then there’s the cycling. I don’t take public transit anymore. I get sweaty fast and wearing a facemask makes that worse. This means my options are limited to the bike or the car. Gas still around 8 euros a gallon and let’s not even get started on how cranky I get in traffic. Biking it is. I like it. I put on the music and do a lot of thinking during the commute. Even in the 90 plus degree days of the past week, I biked to the classroom. I was not the only Sweaty Betty out there!

I have a special crate for Henry and George, complete with seatbelts, on the front of Beatrix. This week, one of my employees repurposed an old tent to build a rain frame for the boys so they can ride safely sheltered, even in foul weather. They are still toddling along at nearly 15. With this heat, we have been going on the big walk of the day at 630AM. This timeslot was not always appreciated. 😉 They are in good health, for which I am immensely grateful and determined to keep that way.

It’s the vacation season in the Netherlands. It doesn’t really feel like it compared to previous years. We had rescheduled from June to October. Our province is listed as Code Orange now for Covid so that means it is unlikely that we will be welcome visitors. We had an old farm rented in the Ardennes, the “mountains” of Belgium. I think if we want to go on vacation this year, we will probably be better of staying within the borders. I don’t really do vacation, so that’s not such a bad thing. 😉 I would like to be able to take the boys somewhere that they can spend 95% of their time off leash. 

I hope I find my way out of this closed off period. Now that I have said it “out loud”, I can begin to do something with the idea. That’s me, Action Fan. 😉